MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2018 By
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MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2018 By: Representative Straughter To: Rules HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 88 1 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION MOURNING THE LOSS AND COMMEMORATING 2 THE LIFE AND STELLAR MUSIC CAREER OF MISSISSIPPI BLUES AND SOUL 3 LEGEND DENISE LASALLE AND EXPRESSING DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO HER 4 FAMILY AND FRIENDS UPON HER PASSING. 5 WHEREAS, it is written in Ecclesiastes 3:1, "To everything 6 there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the Heaven," 7 and as such, the immaculate author and finisher of our soul's 8 destiny summoned the mortal presence of dearly beloved Mississippi 9 songbird, renowned Mississippi R&B singer, songwriter and record 10 producer, the incomparable Mrs. Denise LaSalle, as she has made 11 life's final transition from earthly travailing to heavenly 12 reward, rendering great sorrow and loss to her family, friends and 13 fan base; and 14 WHEREAS, born Ora Denise Allen on July 16, 1934, in the 15 hamlet of Sidon, Leflore County, Mississippi, situated in the 16 heart of the Mississippi Delta, the seventh of eight children to 17 Mr. Nathaniel Allen, Sr., and Mrs. Nancy Cooper Allen; the State 18 of Mississippi lost a wonderful friend and icon with the passing 19 of Mrs. LaSalle, hailed by her fans as the "Queen of the Blues," H. C. R. No. 88 *HR31/R2150* ~ OFFICIAL ~ N1/2 18/HR31/R2150 PAGE 1 (DJ\JAB) 20 on January 8, 2018, and there is now a hush in our hearts as we 21 come together to pay our respects to the memory of one who has 22 been called to join that innumerable heavenly caravan as she now 23 enjoys the eternal peace described in Luke 2:29, "Lord, now you 24 are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word"; 25 and 26 WHEREAS, at the tender age of seven, her family moved to 27 Belzoni, Mississippi, where LaSalle attended Belzoni Colored 28 School, which later became McNair School, and sang in the church 29 while also honing her vocal acuity by listening to country music 30 and blues on the radio before joining the "Great Migration" of 31 African Americans from the South to northern parts of the country; 32 and 33 WHEREAS, as a young teenage bride, she moved to Chicago to 34 escape the harshness that the reality of life presented in 35 Mississippi where she decided to pursue her talent in the music 36 industry, first singing with a gospel group, the Sacred Five and 37 while working as a barmaid in 1963, Denise met her music mentor, 38 Billy "The Kid" Emerson, who would serve as producer for "Love 39 Reputation" on Tarpon Records in 1966 and reissued on Chess 40 Records in 1967; and 41 WHEREAS, a durable Blues and soul singer and songwriter who 42 in a half-century-long career delved into song, love, cheating, 43 pleasure and heartache, mixing romance with fun, LaSalle had 44 initial hopes of becoming a writer, and even had a story published H. C. R. No. 88 *HR31/R2150* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 18/HR31/R2150 PAGE 2 (DJ\JAB) 45 in Tan Magazine, but after magazines rejected her other fiction, 46 she turned to writing poems and songs, and the rest is a masterful 47 song artist's history; and 48 WHEREAS, taking her stage surname, LaSalle, from a French 49 character in a newspaper comic strip, Denise released several 50 singles on Chess Records before starting her own production 51 company, Crajon and its subsidiary labels Parka Records and Gold 52 Star Records in 1969, with her then husband Bill Jones, where the 53 couple recorded The Sequins, Bill Coday and LaSalle herself; and 54 WHEREAS, for her next singles, Mrs. LaSalle chose Memphis 55 producer, Willie "Papa Willie" Mitchell, who had also produced Al 56 Green's hits, to work his magic on "Hung Up, Strung Out" in 57 Memphis' Royal Recording Studios, which enabled her to sign with 58 Detroit label, Westbound Records, in 1970, a deal that proved 59 rewarding with the 1971 release of the biggest hit of her career, 60 the million-selling No. 1 R&B single "Trapped by a Thing Called 61 Love," which also reached No. 13 on the Billboard Pop Chart, and 62 became her only Top 40 crossover in the United States; and 63 WHEREAS, over the next 14 years, LaSalle was a prominent 64 figure on the National R&B Charts with 16 hits, including, "Now 65 Run and Tell That," "Man Sized Job," "Love Me Right," "Don't Mess 66 With My Tu-Tu" and "Married, But Not To Each Other," a song that 67 also became a country hit for Barbara Mandrell in 1977; and 68 WHEREAS, in 1982, Denise's musical leanings tendered slightly 69 toward the Blues, when she penned "Down Home Blues" for Z.Z. Hill H. C. R. No. 88 *HR31/R2150* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 18/HR31/R2150 PAGE 3 (DJ\JAB) 70 and subsequently signed to Mississippi-based Malaco Label, where 71 she recorded 10 albums, which consisted of several hits like "Lady 72 in the Streets," "Down Home Blues," "Don't Mess With My Man" and 73 "24 Hour Woman"; and 74 WHEREAS, after recognizing a lack of Blues music being played 75 on the radio, Mrs. LaSalle championed the project for the 76 preservation of the Blues genre by organizing the National 77 Association for Preservation of the Blues (NAPOB) and founding the 78 Blues Academy, which served as a forum to educate younger 79 generations about the Blues at no cost; and 80 WHEREAS, having toured steadily, largely in the Southeast, 81 with occasional trips to Europe, Mrs. LaSalle, who briefly made 82 gospel albums from 1999 to 2001 before returning to secular music 83 with albums like "Pay Before You Pump," was nominated by the Blues 84 Foundation for a Blues Music Award in the Soul Blues Female Artist 85 Category, alongside Mavis Staples and Bettye LaVette, and she was 86 inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2015; and 87 WHEREAS, making regular appearances to perform at the 88 Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage Festival, the longest-running 89 authentic blues fest in the nation, sponsored by Mississippi 90 Action for Community Education in Greenville, Mississippi, 91 Denise's benevolence was unparalleled as she held fundraisers, 92 raising thousands of dollars for the Mississippi Delta tornado 93 victims; and H. C. R. No. 88 *HR31/R2150* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 18/HR31/R2150 PAGE 4 (DJ\JAB) 94 WHEREAS, though she has traversed the river of life to now 95 stand on the celestial shores of Heaven's grandeur, to join the 96 heavenly choir of archangels, the legacy of Mrs. LaSalle's memory 97 will continue to refresh the hearts and fond memories of her 98 beloved survivors: husband of 41 years, James E. Wolfe, Jr.; 99 children, Bridgette Edwards, Lynn Hayden, Kenneth Ray Kight, Jr., 100 and Dawn Jones; sister, Naomi Pruitt; nine grandchildren, 101 Samantha, Monet, Jamie-Lynn, Kealyn, Kenneth Ray III, Ray'Ven, 102 Myles, Kinsleigh, Cedarius and Cyra; six godchildren and a host of 103 other relatives and friends; and 104 WHEREAS, we encourage the family to find solace from the 105 overwhelming sadness created by the earthly departure of their 106 beloved family member in Revelation 21:4, wherein is recorded, 107 "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there 108 shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall 109 there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" 110 and renewed in their faith that Mrs. LaSalle fulfilled the 111 commandment of II Timothy 4:7 by having fought a good fight, 112 finishing her course and keeping the faith until the hour of her 113 departure was at hand; and 114 WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature that we 115 recognize the music and cultural contributions of this Mississippi 116 legend who has served as "The R&B Queen Ambassador for the State 117 of Mississippi": H. C. R. No. 88 *HR31/R2150* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 18/HR31/R2150 PAGE 5 (DJ\JAB) 118 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF 119 REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING 120 THEREIN, That we do hereby mourn the loss and commemorate the life 121 and stellar career of Mississippi Blues and Soul Legend Denise 122 LaSalle, and extend sincere sympathies to her family and friends 123 upon her passing. 124 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be 125 furnished to the surviving family of Mrs. Denise LaSalle and to 126 the members of the Capitol Press Corps. H. C. R. No. 88 *HR31/R2150* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 18/HR31/R2150 ST: Denise LaSalle; mourn loss and commemorate PAGE 6 (DJ\JAB) life and stellar music career of upon her passing. .